Hartman 1

Levi Hartman

Caroline Reynolds

ENG 1201

1 May 2022

“Same Love” Two Versions, With Different Meanings

On the second day of October in 2012, a music video was created for a song by

Macklemore that was uploaded onto YouTube. This song had an important meaning behind

it. However, on the eleventh of December of that same year, a cover of the song was created

by Paradise Fears, but this time with a brand-new message behind the song. Paradise Fears

version of Macklemore’s song “Same Love” gives a broader meaning behind the song when

compared to the original. The message behind the original version of the song is how it is not

wrong to be in a relationship with someone of the same gender as oneself, while the

meaning behind the cover of the song is telling the audience to be with the ones they love,

whether it’s family, friends or a partner.

In the original version’s music video, at the start, what appears to be the main

character, Shelton Harris is struggling to figure out his sexuality because of what he had been

told about what he should and shouldn’t be by others. Through the period of multiple time

skips between many locations, by the end, he figures out he does want to be with someone of

the same sex as him. And to him, it doesn’t matter what others may think of that, or if it goes

against any preexisting beliefs or rules that he followed previously because, in the end, it isn’t
 Hartman 2

morally wrong to do so, and it is what makes him happy. That being said, the entire story of this

version of the song can bring out emotions and empathy in the people watching the video, or in

other words, appeal to the audience through pathos. But those that this video may be directed

towards specifically are the ones that may be struggling to figure out what their sexuality is, and

who they are interested in because of specific beliefs and things told to them by others. But the

list doesn’t end there, because this video can also be directed at those that have already figured

out that they are homosexual or even just those that support it. It almost seems as though this

video is being used to give them the confidence and independence to decide who they want to

be with, or just even give them more confidence to express themselves fully.

The cover takes a very different direction with how it is presented, instead of giving a

story of one, it gives a story of many. It does this by showing many kinds of photographs of

different people being around the ones they care about such as a brother, sister, mother,

father, daughter, son, friend, or soul mate. Because of this, it can show that there is no main

character of just one story because everyone in these photos is the main character of their own

story. And this method works effectively because it can be used to make those watching and

listening feel a sense of emotion, which is an appeal to pathos. And because of the meaning

behind this version of the song, it can be seen to be directed at almost everyone, which means

the audience that is trying to reach out to can be anybody around the globe. And this cover of

the song possibly could be trying to get everyone who watched to realize how much the ones

that they love matter, and encourages them to go and spend time with them.

The two versions of this song are very different in how they each sound and how they

are formatted with their music videos. For example, a constant piano can be heard in the
 Hartman 3

original version of the song alongside digitized sounds, whilst in the cover, a guitar takes that

spot, using mostly traditional instruments. The setting of the original version changes

constantly to places such as a hospital, house, yard, forest, beach, and a wedding, while in

the cover version, the setting of it is one room, containing a banister hanging from above

with the title of the song on it. Even though these are major differences, they both still have

something in common. Which is how they each talk about loving a person in some way. The

original may be narrowed down to talking about homosexuality whilst the other talks about

any type of love/bond with someone, but they are still similar in the front of loving someone,

even if it is just as a friend or family. But in the end, love is love no matter how different they

may be.

Each version of the song, whether it is Macklemore’s or Paradise Fears, has very

important messages to give and meanings behind why they were created. Each allows the

audience to feel empathetic towards what is being said and even shown in each version,

whether through a story or photograph. And the relevancy of each of the messages is still

important, even after almost an entire decade. And as time progresses the meaning behind

each of the messages may only end up getting stronger.

 Hartman 4

Works Cited

“MACKLEMORE and RYAN LEWIS - SAME LOVE Feat. MARY LAMBERT (OFFICIAL VIDEO).”

YouTube, Macklemore LLC, 2 Oct. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0.

Accessed 13 Feb. 2022.

“Paradise Fears - Same Love (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Cover).” YouTube, Paradise Fears, 11

Dec. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsCuHqndpzQ. Accessed 13 Feb. 2022.